Yesterday our area of New York felt the effects of the Earthquake that hit north of Ottawa.

My son & I both felt it, although we were in different rooms at the time. I thought he wasn't here, or I would have said something to him right after....

At first I thought the washer was off balance or something, although it didn't "feel" like that.

My daughters friend was standing in the kitchen and I told her I thought we just had a mild earthquake and she looked at me like I was nuts!

I turned the news on and didn't hear about an earthquake, so walked away...(duh- give them time to turn on the camera's!)

About an hour later I mentioned something about it to my son. He said he had felt it too, but thought he was imagining things.

Now I knew I wasn't nuts. We turned on the news, and there it was!

This is the third, maybe fourth earthquake I've felt, although they have all been mild.

Once was in the early 90's when I lived in Oregon. The other times were here in NY - I know where I was each time, but not the exact years...

The one time was sort of like this time...

I had spent the night at my parents house. I was standing in front of some shelves in my mom's living room. All of a sudden, all of her nick-nacks (sp?) started shaking. Because the bathroom is on the other side of the wall and the washer is against that wall, I assumed it was the washer going out of whack. Then I realized the washer wasn't on.

A few minutes later, my mom came out of her room and said we just had a mild earthquake.

Ok, that's 3 earthquakes. Why do I say MAYBE four?

One time a l-o-o-o-o-ng time ago, I was lying on my bed taking of an afternoon snooze. I was young, at home in my apartment. I woke up to the bed shaking. I was alone at the time, and no one later mentioned an earthquake. I didn't think about checking the news.

All I know is.................
Scary stuff! I'm glad it was only trmors!

Crazy things going on in the world!

This is a question I am often asked. I may work from home, but I am talking to people from all over the United States. And what better ice breaker is there than to talk about the weather? But of course, if you're like me, this question will literally stump you!

Don't get me wrong, I DO get out! We have goats and chicken's, so I get out at least twice a day to feed them. Throw in a trip to the mailbox - heck - I get out!

But what about those times when I am holed up in my home office answering emails, posting ads on the Internet, and "socializing" on all the forums I am a member on? When feeding the animals earlier it had been sunny, a balmy 38 degrees, with no wind at all. The weather was great when I closed the door to my sanctuary.

Fast forward an hour or so. Like I said, I'm doing my online stuff, in my own little world. I have someone I need to call in Florida. I hop on the phone and give them a call. I let them know who I am , that I am returning their call and ask how can I help them. We pass a few "how are you's" , etc.... and then they ask the question...... " Where are you calling from?' When I tell them New York, they always ask about the weather. ( The weather........ahhh, who knows?) .....

..... hurry, run to the window, look at the sky. What where did the sky go- all I can see is snow! Check the thermostat! 23 degrees? When did that happen? Woah- look at car! Where the heck did the truck go?

........" Oh, it's snowing like a son of a gun!" I say. "Must have about 6-8 inches . The temperatures' only 23!"

They are amazed! Some people I speak to have never seen snow! If they only knew.....

I tell them, "That ain't nothin', honey. A few years ago, a town a few miles north of us got 10 FEET of snow in a few days- we only got 3 feet!"

Have you ever heard that old saying If you don't like the weather in Central New York wait 5 minutes? It's true, too. We can have a raging snowstorm that will literally shut down schools across the region. A few hours later the sun is out, and the wind has died down. The picture perfect scenery with it's sparkling new- fallen snow belies the fact that you could only see 2 feet in front of you an hour ago. And it can go the other way. Great weather can turn nasty pretty quickly around these parts.

So if you happen to call me and ask about the weather...........and I seem clueless....it's not that I don't get out much, or that I have been on the computer for hours...(REALLY! I MEAN IT). It just means I haven't looked out my window in an hour or so!

Welcome to the wonderful world of working from home. No longer do I care about the weather! Just give me my computer and leave me alone!

Carolee Sperry
Regional Sales Director
AmeriPlan
CSperry@ameriplan.net
www.mybenefitsplus.com/sperry
www.freedomathometeam.com/sperry
yahoo instant messenger ID: carolee_sperry
1-800-918-5154
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